IES Abroad Reviews

I will forever be grateful for the Semester I spent abroad in Amsterdam, and am so thankful I chose to go through IES to do so! The Law & Criminology Amsterdam program through IES was a perfect fit for my study abroad wants and needs. Before going abroad I knew I did not want to do a program through my university as I didn't want to only be with students from my university, yet still wanted to be in an organized program. Living abroad with students from all over the United States was such a cool experience to be able to live and be around people from all different backgrounds, while still having the comfort of being around people from your home country.
The courses taken in our program were both at the IES center with other students from the program and at the Vrije Universiteit alongside other Dutch and international students. The courses taken from Dutch professors were much different from an American University, but it was such a rewarding experience to be able to take classes with other Dutch students. Because of this it was extremely easy to make friends from all different cultures. Another factor that made meeting people super easy was the living situation. I lived in campus housing in a flat where I shared a living room and kitchen with twelve other people. What I loved most about it was that I lived in the International Student tower and shared a flat from other international students all over the world.
If you are having a hard time deciding where you should go abroad, you should 100% choose Amsterdam. I guarantee you won't regret it! It is such a great central point to travel around Europe and you will never get tired of exploring the endless canals of Amsterdam. It is an extremely welcoming city and truly a great fit for all different kinds of people. You will have no trouble finding your niche in Amsterdam!

Everything from the breathtaking views from Table Mountain to the dynamic and passionate student body at the University of Cape Town to the abundant opportunities for adventure attributed to a truly life-changing study abroad experience. The programs and staff at IES helped us integrate into a place that was so different from what many of us were used to and helped us find a home in South Africa.

fernweh | (n.) when you feel like you have to leave your familiar surroundings to discover new places. it is the need for distance, the wish to experience something far away from home, the urge to escape from your everyday life by travelling

The IES Freiburg EU program was the perfect way to find Fernweh! Freiburg was the perfect home-away-from-home. It was safe, beautiful, fun, and the perfect size for the aspiring city girl. I had my little slice of heaven hidden away in the Black Forest! We were able to travel so much - which was so easy due to the central train station in Freiburg.

I really enjoyed my experience with IES Abroad. The courses were challenging, but not too overwhelming and there were a lot of opportunities to get involved with the local university. It's a bit hard to meet Germans, but I think that's true for most foreigners in Germany. Berlin is an amazing city and worth the trip. The only problem was my homestay. I asked to be "independent of host" and was placed with someone who was very clingy and wanted to be overly involved in my life. Other than that, everything was fine.

Spending my spring semester in Amsterdam was one the best decisions I've made in college, and I feel so lucky to have been able to live in one of the coolest cities in the world for four months. While it was great to have time off and be able to travel, I still felt like there was always more to explore in Amsterdam every weekend and I didn't feel too much of a need to go see other cities while I was already somewhere that I loved being. There is just so much to see and so much to do, from visiting the many museums they have to offer, to visiting Keukenhof (the tulip festival in the spring), and of course biking around trying to understand the flow of traffic. Not only would I recommend that every college student spend a semester abroad, but also everyone should visit Amsterdam; if you can do those both at the same time, that's perfect! And if you do, make sure to treasure every moment, because you will always look back and reminisce, and you want to make sure you made the most of your time there. It will be a memory you'll treasure forever.

The four months that I spent studying at IES in Rome were the most unforgettable of my life. Every day I woke up in my apartment down the street from Vatican, walked across Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, and stopped along the lungotevere at my favorite coffee spot next to school for a caffè before going to class. IES students live in two of the most beautiful quarters of Rome, Prati and Trastevere, both within walking distance of the center. The professors who teach there are all Italians who also teach at local universities; they are experts in their fields and help us make the most out of the classes with our almost weekly lessons outside the classroom. The field studies were by far my favorite part of IES. With them I got to see some of the most unique and beautiful places in Rome. Depending on your class schedules you go to government buildings, museums, charity centers, and more. Between exploring the city on my own and with the help of suggestions of places to go from IES’s weekly emails, I quickly felt that Rome was another place I can call home.

The EU program was so much fun!! Especially the travel aspect, you go somewhere once a week every month and it's the best thing about the program. The center is really nice, some of the professors are great while others are meh, as usual. Classes were interesting for the most part.
There's some good places to go out in Freiburg, and the food is the BEST. There are a bunch of shops down the main street downtown to go shopping. It felt like we weren't in Freiburg much because of the travel but the time we were in town was great.
A couple things to think about are if you plan on fully immersing yourself in German culture you're going to have to do everything you can do to that. In Freiburg you're in classes at the IES Center not the local University, so you're spending 80% of the time surrounded by Americans. Also, this is not a program you can go into assuming you're going to barely be doing any work. For me, it was like any other semester work wise. All of that being said I LOVE Freiburg and being there was so much fun, and I would absolutely go again!!

Studying abroad was a strong desire of mine heading into my freshman year of college. For others, it's a "tug of war" decision. As an anthropology major, my goal is to engage with the world we live in and understand how other people live. I studied abroad in Milan, Italy during the spring of my sophomore year. Having the opportunity to travel overseas on my own was a thrilling and nerving experience. As I got dropped off at the airport I said arrivederci ("see you soon") to my family before checking in with security. The beginning of my new adventure unexpectedly turned when my flight was delayed for several hours and eventually cancelled due to weather conditions and flight errors. I chose to spend the night at the airport to make the best of the situation and embrace the experience of traveling. I met five people throughout the night and early morning who shared with me their individual stories and upcoming travels to Egypt, Moscow, Italy, the Philippines, and London. One of them studied abroad in London years prior, returned to complete her master's, and now permanently lives there. The wise women who was departing to the Philippines unfortunately received the news that her flight was cancelled after she shared with me her worldly travels as a foreign service officer. Their company during my wait made the beginning of my adventure all the better. Surprisingly enough, they shared similar advice with me—to be patient, open-minded, and let the experience unfold from itself.
Although I was almost a day and a half late, I eventually made it to Milan and met my host family, IES staff, and classmates. I was relieved to be in the city that was going to be my classroom, which ended up becoming "my home away from home." Listening to people's stories made all the experience profound and enticing. I became friends with locals through a foreign language exchange program through IES abroad. The program is open to all students who wish to improve their language speaking skills and meet new people. From the exchange experience I was invited to a college graduation ceremony and witnessed ceremonial traditions, such as wearing the laurel wreath. Saying hello to what awaited me in Milan helped me control my eagerness and excitement. Moments that included Milan's food and art culture was a whirlwind experience as I lived in it every day. Out-of-class field excursions were memorable, especially the time my Italian professor took our class to a professional cooking studio where we learned to make pasta from scratch.
To expect the unexpected is a lesson learned. There are some circumstances that are out of a person's control and you have to keep calm and keep going. Within my first few days in Milan I did get lost (e.g. ending up in Chinatown instead of class), but I found it rewarding once I figured out how to navigate the entire city and public transport without a map. Study abroad allows you to be independent, be courageous, discover, and grow personally, academically, and professionally with the support of many people.

Making the decision to study with IES abroad in Salamanca, Spain during my spring semester of 2016 was one of the greatest decisions of my life. Having studied abroad with a different institution in Madrid during the fall semester of 2015, I was well prepared to start the second semester of my abroad experience in a totally different city that carried with it a very historically unique college-town vibe. Being just one of two incumbents familiar to the study abroad experience, I enjoyed my role in being able to assist other students with their endeavors alongside the incredible teaching and administrative staff of IES abroad Salamanca.

Granted I knew what to expect in regards to studying abroad and its learning process, Salamanca itself was a city that I had visited just once before and was not all that familiar with. The administrative staff and group of Spanish student mentors at the local university assisted myself along with the other study abroad students in every step of the way, from picking us up at the airport, to walking us through orientation to hosting our fare-well departure ceremony at the programs end. At times I did feel as if my freedom was cut short to meet this program’s expectations, however, these mandated obligations such as frequent meetings with IES abroad teachers and administration regardless of need did nothing but bring out the best in me over the course of this program.

Though I did not get as many opportunities to travel Europe as I had the semester prior, there is nothing I would have changed about my overall experience with IES Abroad. In electing to directly enroll in the University of Salamanca and to live in the dormitories with Spanish natives, I was assured to have the most authentic, culturally immersed experience possible over the course of this 16-week program.

The most difficult part of this experience was not the beginning, but rather the end. Finals were difficult and adaptation can be rocky, but saying goodbye to some of the best friends I had ever made and leaving the peers who enabled me to achieve what
I had achieved was the most difficult of all. Nonetheless, on the plane ride home in reflection of everything that I had accomplished it was evident that this experience was without a doubt beyond worthwhile.

Studying in Amsterdam with IES wasn't just a life changing experience, it was preparation for life after graduation and acceptance of a new life style and culture. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have chosen another program or location. I met tons of other study abroad students from various countries who said they loved their program, but Amsterdam was their favorite city they had visited. When I asked them questions, some of those students also mentioned how they wouldn’t live in their host country, and some also said they were happy, but would be ready for a change of pace once home. One of my best friends from study abroad is actually a returned study abroad student who came back to live in Amsterdam! Everyone who I studied with in Amsterdam out of my friend group, Erasmus, etc. all wants to come back and live. None of us found a city better than Amsterdam while traveling either. Most people say Amsterdam is the best city in Europe, but study abroad really showed me how incredible The Netherlands really is. So don’t be discouraged because I chose a program as the only student from my home school, so I didn't know anyone on the program when I arrived. And I ended up finding a home away from home.

The orientation week, along with International Student Network's UvA orientation made me feel right at home while just starting out in The Netherlands. The staff were incredible over the whole semester, so I highly recommend IES. When my wallet was stolen, I was able to replace everything within a week with their help! I will say that this program has staff that are more highly involved, so if you are looking for complete independence you may want to be aware that there will be check-in’s, meetings, etc. over the course of your program with IES.

In terms of course work, studying in Amsterdam at UvA isn’t easy, but it isn’t difficult. It’s just like attending school at your home university, which I really appreciated. I felt challenged in the courses I took, and I felt like I was experiencing new ways of learning. I took a course with IES called Studio Art that allowed me to learn about art in Amsterdam, which helped me to understand the artist scene in the city while integrating into Dutch culture. I made connections with programs and professors that I will use in my professional and graduate school career!

UvA has a great social scene as well. It was easy to make Dutch friends through ISN (their Erasmus). Some people say it’s hard to become part of the Dutch culture, but I didn’t find this was the case. If you spend time learning about the culture, language and people, then you will find integration easier since you will be able to think and act like a local (just a tip). ISN gave me a group of friends, events and weekend trips to attend while on study abroad. It was one of the main reasons I had such an incredible experience. The group of around 400+ students who lived all over the city made me feel at home and made the big city seem small. Every week there was a borrel to attend, or some sort of big weekend event. Then on our own, my group would meet up for potluck dinners, and other events on our own! IES also schedules trips around The Netherlands and to various places in Amsterdam, which I highly suggest.

Beyond school, IES and ISN, Study in Amsterdam had the option to live at The Student Hotel. This was THE BEST decision I made. I paid extra each month to live here: https://www.thestudenthotel.com/amsterdam-city/ It was a whole international student dorm in a central location to the city complete with a free bike, gym, study rooms, restaurants, events, etc. It was like a whole new family of international student. I even had my own studio apartment. It’s right by a Check out the website to see why I loved it so much!

The city of Amsterdam itself has everything you could think of … How I explored the city was by visiting 50 different cafés in Amsterdam over the course of 4 months. I even was able to volunteer and work on two different sustainable/entrepreneurial projects in the city because Amsterdam is a hub for innovation. The city is in prime location to visit most other European countries as well. Name something to do, see or experience and you have it. You can look at this blog and their weekly events newsletters to see a bit of the excitement (http://www.yourlittleblackbook.me/).

Amsterdam is the city of dreams, and I am not doing it justice through just a small review! I fell in love with a culture, people and place I will go back to live in one day. Study abroad didn’t just become a life changing experience for me, it helped me find my home.